18th Annual MonDak Pulse Day Scheduled for February 13th

This year, the 18th Annual MonDak Pulse Day will take place at the Elks Club in Wolf Point, MT on Tuesday, February 13th. The MonDak Pulse Day is a local area program that provides the latest information on the production, marketing, and utilization of pulse crops.

To attend the event, there is a registration fee of $20 per attendee (includes catered meal); registration starts at 8:30 am MST. The event is open to the public and is organized by Montana State University (MSU) and North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension Agents in northeastern Montana and northwestern North Dakota with the program annually rotating between Montana and North Dakota.

There will be six featured speakers presenting information on their research projects and pulse research updates at the event. Starting at 9:00 am MST Clain Jones, soil fertility specialist for Montana State University Extension and associate professor of nutrient management in the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, will be speaking about micronutrient needs and pulse crop fertilizer. Following by Jones, Anton Bekkerman, Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics at Montana State University, will present a synopsis on the pulse market.

After a catered lunch, Ed Davis from the Land Resources and Environmental Sciences (LRES) Department at MSU will be discussing weed management issues and research conducted by Brian Jenks, Weed Scientist at North Dakota State University Minot Research and Extension Center. Brian Gion, marketing director from the Northern Pulse Growers Association (NPGA), will be discussing pulse market updates.

The last speakers of the event will be Eric Bartsch, General Manager at AGT Foods, and Kevin McPhee, Pulse Breeder at MSU. Bartsch will be speaking about pulses in the food market, and McPhee will give a pulse breeding research update.

An expanded trade show of about 25 to 30 exhibitors, coordinated by the Northern Pulse Growers Association, will be held in conjunction with MonDak Pulse Day. There will also be door prize drawings held throughout the day, and Pesticide Applicator credits and CEU will be available. For more information about the Annual MonDak Pulse Day, contact Wendy Becker at the MSU-Fort Peck Reservation Extension Office at 406-768-3431.